When roaming open pastures, cattle can walk up to eight hours a day while grazing but they can't always get as much exercise when confined to a barnyard. One enterprising farmer, however, has invented an ingenious means of getting his herd mooving—and generate a bit of free electricity on the side.»1/16/15 11:40am 1/16/15 11:40am

A bushel's as good as a peck to most folks outside the agricultural industry but that doesn't make the New Holland CR10.90's wheat-picking feat any less impressive. It was able to harvest nearly 800 tons of the grain from 198 acres of English farmland in a single workday—all while setting a Guinness world record.»10/16/14 11:43am 10/16/14 11:43am

The March 1931 issue of The Country Gentleman magazine included this advertisement for Timken bearings. With the bold headline "100 YEARS AHEAD" the ad promises that the farmer of the future may be unrecognizable — thanks to Timken bearings, of course. Our farmer of tomorrow wears a suit to work and sits at a desk… »8/14/14 11:21am 8/14/14 11:21am

The days of hand-picked fruits and vegetables—at least those picked by human hands—are quickly coming to a close as robotic farming technology continues its rapid advancement. A team of roboticists from the EU, for example, have just debuted an automated fruit and vegetable harvester that can spot ripe produce just by… »7/21/14 12:08pm 7/21/14 12:08pm

It's getting increasingly difficult to feed humanity's seven billion-plus mouths, especially as climate change begins to wreak havoc on the world's staple crop supplies. While efforts are being made to find hardier alternatives, a research team from the University of Sydney has developed a tool to better manage the… »7/11/14 11:40am 7/11/14 11:40am

As climate change begins posing new challenges to conventional outdoor food production methods, hydroponic farming has made quick gains in popularity thanks to its space- and energy-saving design. This enormous indoor lettuce farm for example—the largest of its kind in the world—produces 10,000 heads a day in less… »7/10/14 4:20pm 7/10/14 4:20pm

Cows, it turns out, can be pretty filthy, just pooping wherever and whenever it strikes their fancy. And when they let loose in the confines of a milking stall, the splattered mess becomes a source of infection for every cow that enters after. But rather than force a human to shovel shit 9 times a day, Lely has… »6/30/14 11:40am 6/30/14 11:40am

Maine has miles and miles of coastline, but its most spectacular sand dunes are nowhere near water. For that, you'd have to head inland, toward the vast, sandy expanse known as the "Desert of Maine." There, thanks to hapless farmers and some unusual geology, you'll find rolling dunes in the land of lobster and pine… »5/28/14 3:00pm 5/28/14 3:00pm

It's the year 2051. Welcome to a view of the American landscape. Urban areas have swollen with people. Range and pasturelands have shrunk. There's a bit more forest than there was back in 2014, a result of economic incentives driving more timber production. These are a few of the predictions of a new study on how… »5/11/14 9:00am 5/11/14 9:00am

There isn't much in the Western Sahara, but there is this giant conveyor belt running over 60 miles from a Moroccan phosphate mine to the edge of the ocean. Look closely—this could be the future of our global food supply. »4/24/14 1:09pm 4/24/14 1:09pm

California's chief snow surveyor ventured into the Sierras this week to see how much water the state can expect from the spring melt—and he came back with very bad news. The devastating drought that the state's been dealing with the past few months will continue to devastate for the foreseeable future. »4/03/14 3:20pm 4/03/14 3:20pm

A lime shortage is threatening the U.S. food and beverage industry, with some bars and restaurants jacking up drink prices, charging extra for a slice—or refusing to serve the citrus at all. But there's another reason to rethink that margarita: The pricey limes you're buying from Mexico might be supporting drug… »3/31/14 6:40pm 3/31/14 6:40pm

Remember learning about America's "amber waves of grain?" Well, it turns out that the United States' bread basket—a.k.a., the Corn Belt—is even more productive than previously thought. In fact, during its growing season, it's the most productive land on Earth, according to new NASA data. »3/31/14 4:20pm 3/31/14 4:20pm